1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to imaging diagnostic apparatus, such as CT (computerized tomography) apparatus and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) imaging apparatus; and more particularly, to an operator console for use in imaging diagnostic apparatus and which comprises mechanism for displaying intelligibly a scan plane of an object being examined.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The NMR imaging apparatus and the CT apparatus are powerful tools for obtaining imaging diagnosis , in the field of clinical medicine and are currently in wide use. The NMR imaging apparatus comprises (for example, as shown in FIG. 10) a magnetic assembly 100 comprising static magnetic field coils (unnumbered) for producing a uniform static magnetic field and gradient magnetic field coils (unnumbered) for producing magnetic fields in the same direction as that of the static magnetic field and having linear gradients in the respective X,Y and Z directions; a static magnetic field power supply 200; a gradient magnetic field power supply 300; a transmitting unit 400 for supplying high frequency pulses (high frequency electromagnetic waves) to an object to be examined which is placed within the magnetic fields produced by magnetic assembly 100; a receiving unit 500 for receiving NMR signals coming from the object; a controller 600 for controlling the operation of transmitting unit 400 and magnetic assembly 100; a computer 700 for controlling controller 600, for processing received data, and for performing an image reconfiguration process over the section images of the object; and an operator console 800. Operator console 800 comprises a CRT for displaying an image and a control/display panel for setting a scan plane of the object at the time of data acquisition and displaying the scan plane thus set.
The scan plane of the object is set by means of three parameters, Plane, Tilt Direction, and Tilt Angle. These three parameters are used to display the spatial arrangment of the scan plane on the control/display panel, with respect to the object. Specifically, on the control/display panel are displayed the plane surface and the tilt direction by the use of letters and the tilt angle is displayed by use of a numerical value.
The definitions of these three parameters are as follows:
PLANE. The plane is classified (as shown in FIG.11) into three mutually orthogonal reference surfaces imaged on the object, namely, (1) Sagittal plane, (2) Coronal plane, and (3) Axial plane.
TILT DIRECTION The tilt direction is classified into three types , namely, (1) Pitching, (2) Yawing, and (3) Rolling. These terms indicate the inclination direction of each plane, as shown in FIGS. 12(A),12(B) and 12(C). More specifically, in FIG. 12(A), the tilt direction of the axial plane is indicated by Pitching and Yawing; in FIG. 12(B), the tilt direction of the Sagittal plane is indicated by Yawing and Rolling; and in FIG. 12(C), the tilt direction of the Coronal plane is indicated by Pitching and Rolling.
TILT ANGLE. The tilt angle is represented by "degree" which is indicative of the inclination angle of each plane.
These three parameters are used to indicate and display the scan planes, for example, in CT apparatus, and are widely used in the field of imaging diagnostic apparatus.
The conventional imaging diagnostic apparatus has an important deficiency, in that the conventional apparatus displays the spatial arrangement of the scan plane by use of letters and numerical characters and values. Thus, an operator must be relatively skilled to operate the conventional apparatus, and furthermore, such operator is prone to make various positioning and other errors, cause delays and in many ways increase the cost of diagnosis. The operator must perceive the three dimensional arrangement of the scan plane at the time of scanning or image decoding using only the letters and characters. Thus, the prior art leaves much to be desired in such diagnostic imaging devices.